Reviews by Thrasher:

22 oz bomber. Probably the newest batch (2006?); there's no date anywhere. Pours a deeper shade of orange than I was expecting, with admirable head that eventually goes away. Fruity nose with some grapefruit hops and floral aroma. The beer has some trademark Fish Tale buttery malts, with herbal, bitter hops and a relatively mild yeast profile. Not especially Belgian in character. The alcohol is abrasive at this young age; it would benefit from some aging. There is some nice malt sweetness tucked away, and a floral hop crispness, but on the whole, the beer does not compel you to drink more. Mouthfeel feels much like an IPA, medium-to-full bodied, with some hop oiliness. The alcohol flavors need time to recede; best wait with this one. (743 characters)

More User Reviews:

Appearance  Beautiful orangish-brown body with a good head. This one looked awesome in my Chimay glass.

Smell  The orange and cherry juice aroma lead this one off followed by some very light spicing. I can pick up a faint scent of cinnamon. Theres also some bready yeast undertones, but this one is all about oranges and cherries.

Taste  The cherry and orange flavors come out big at the taste as well. The wheat body shows up subdued, and the finish again displays the spicing. Theres actually more spicing at the tongue. Im starting to pick up something dark and powdery, like maybe allspice. The fruity flavors also include some peach. The orange is coming out more like a tangerine and now some apple is showing up.

The alcohol kicks it up a notch as well. It almost tastes like applejack. I took this out of the fridge and let it warm up before pouring, but even so, each sip introduces different flavoring. Theres some light sugars coming out as well as some sort of berry flavor, although not like any that I have tried.

Mouthfeel  This is lightly carbonated and borders on full in the body.

Drinkability  This made for a terrific experience. Its tasty, it feels good, and it is very interesting to drink.

Comments  I sampled the Vintage 2003 and I think it may be a good candidate for cellaring. Ill pick up another bottle and re-review in six months.

This ale is extremely complex. This is the 61st Belgian offering that I have sampled and rated on this site, and it is by far the most complex. I learned a lot from this Fish Tale offering, and appreciate the experience. (1,626 characters)

2004 edition, proclaimed in big font on the label. Pours a medium gold-copper with a tight white head that just does not EVER leave completely. Plenty o' chunks floating around in the brew settle quickly to the bottom of the glass. Aroma of tropical fruit (mangoes and pineapples primarily), esters, and fusel alcohol.

This beer defines warming surge of alcohol. Tastes like some Dogfish Head products - that same hot alcohol flavor that permeates Immort Ale when fresh is here in spades. Behind it hides an interesting brew - tropical fruit esters combine with yeastiness, hints of cinnamon and some green apple dipped in tupelo honey to create an intriguing flavor combination. The heat dies down a bit as it warms, allowing the background flavors to bloom a bit - definitely try this brew at cellar, not fridge, temperature for best effect. Sticky and round mouthfeel, bigger and chewier than many tripels. I enjoy this beer, and wonder how good it could be, and how addictive, if the alcohol were just toned down a bit. Lay this one down vertically for a season or two and, if the heat dies down, be prepared to have your taste buds dance.

22oz bottle, with the relatively new Reel Ales branding, but they still kept that fugly-ass fish, the one with a face only its mother could (debatably) love - go figure - all things great and small, I suppose. Oh, and at least the new incarnation gets the spelling of the beer style right.

This beer pours a glassy medium golden yellow hue, with one thin finger of soapy and weakly bubbly off-white head, which leaves some splotchy rain cloud lace around one side of the glass as things duly sink away.

It smells of bready, almost sourdough-like malt, candy sugar, a soft clove/coriander spiciness, a touch of muted citrus pith, mild Belgian yeast, and rather tame leafy hops. The taste is crisp, biscuity and grainy pale malt, a soft indistinct orchard fruitiness, ethereal earthy yeast, leafy, grassy hops, and a certain understated in appearance, but hardly so in essence, booze warming.

The carbonation is moderate, not too big, not too small, the body an adequate medium weight, and fairly smooth, nothing really ready to get off its keister to muck about here. It finishes off-dry, with warm bready malt notes, a fading generic fruitiness, and leafy, somewhat musty hops.

Belgian-style, sure, but in a very unassuming manner - the usual Low Country suspects are beholden here to the big, bad malts, which remind me more of a decent German helles or even altbier, at least in their ambiguity. Anyways, this is a New World offering, from one of the farthest geographical reaches - quaint, sleepy, and fresh southern Puget Sound (I visited last summer), and this beer most definitely reflects that conceptual distance. What isn't immediately apparent, however, is the 18-proof ABV, which is as deftly integrated and obfuscated as the standards to which this one aspires. (1,777 characters)

Pours a deep, unusually dark brownish orange peach with a good white head. Nose is kind of buttery and maltier than I would have expected for a triple. Taste follows with an unusually large sweetness. Some light pepper and belgian yeast make their presence known. Mouthfeel is thick and undercarbonated, but ok. Drinkability is good, but nothing special, as it is a bit thick. Overall an ok tripel, but probably one I won't buy, but certainly dont mind consuming. ok beer. (472 characters)

2004. 12oz.
Sandblasted ocher with a tight beige crowning of foam.
Aromatic of chalkdust, wet basement, and pineapple/vodka mixed drinks.
Begins with a glimpse of crackery pale malt dryness...one that's immediately unseated by phantoms of fruit. Pineapple, pear, and apple. Turns a bit rugged midway, presenting vodka-like booze traits with their sweet, hot, grain emissions. A mildewed sense develops, along with those same chalky traits from the nose. Ends with a citrus-leaning hop burst of lemon rind and orange pulp and a lessening of the ABV sting.
The mouthfeel is firm and full, but (almost) fully carbonated per the style....a feat few American-made tripels pull off. But this carries a but too much weight and appears as Belgian-influence barleywine...a flaw typical of most US versions.
I really did not like this at first, but it has grown on me a little. It's still too uneven and harsh to consider noteworthy...but time may change that. (958 characters)

Pours a peachy cloudy body with good white head. Yeasty and fruit sweet aroma. Medium plus creamy mouthfeel. Tasty, nice beer though have had superior tripels it is smooth drinking. A little spiciness, generously malted for drinkability, carbonation on the fizzy side which doesn't harm the greats-this may be better on tap. On the sweet side of aftertaste but satisfying. (372 characters)

Poured from a single, purchased at Woodman's West, Madison, Wisconsin.

Poured into a pint glass, looks a lovely dark amber, somewhat darker than I'm used to, for the style. Small head leaves pretty quickly. No lacing.

Not picking up much scent at all. A very tiny hint of citrus, but not much.

Tasted a little yeast, a bit of citrus, and a hint of pepper. Tastes like a tripel, just not much of a taste. Sort of a tripel light I guess. Very weak flavor. Not impressed by this one at all. Mouthfeel was very thin as well, with minimal carbonation.

Overall drinkability for me, would ultimately be low. Not a good representation of the style, in my opinion. I will try this one again, to see if my sample was tainted, and I hope it was, because I did not enjoy this one at all. (788 characters)

The 2003 vintage Monkfish pours a hazy, amber body beneath a creamy head of ivory foam that holds very well. It eventually drops to a thin surface covering and wide, fluffy collar (which ain't so bad!), and initially leaves creamy rings of lace about the glass. A bready malt that's seemingly drizzled with melted sugar and honey dominates the aroma, while some fruity notes (grape, apple, pear) help to lift it away from becoming too heavy. In the mouth it's creamy and smooth. It's full maltiness is quite dextrinous, and its very fine-bubbled natural carbonation only lightly caresses the tongue. It's certainly not to be argued against, but I wonder if a bit more zest might change the overall character of the beer for the better. The flavor is very much as the aroma indicates, but there are also some darker fruits at work here (raisins, prunes, figs); some peppery spiciness; and a touch of some woody & vanilla-ish notes due to the aging in oak. It's interestingly malty, but as an example I think I'd find it more akin to the Chimay Grand Reserve that I would the Chimay Cinq Cents. It finishes with a flourish of spice (alcohol?, anise?) that helps to dry out the lingering, sticky maltiness. Eventually it does dry and some harsh, wood-like notes evolve; but by that time you're ready for another sip. Hmmm.... an interesting beer that's darker and more malty than most tripels, but also offers a touch more complexity. It's alcohol is noticeably present, but well heeled for a beer of 8%; and it's creamy mouthfeel is welcoming but a tad unexpected. Unburdened by any stylistic constraints, this is a lovely, strong ale that makes for a great apertif or after-dinner drink. (1,686 characters)

A caveat here: I found this in my cellar (er, closet) and realized that I may have laid it down for a little too long. We'll see.

Poured from the 750ml bottle into my Duvel tulip glass. Color is a murky deep brownish orange with bright apricot highlights. Head is substantial, off-white and bubbly with good retention. Nose is heavy on alcohol, with rich notes of Belgian ale yeast, dark fruit, sweet roasted malt, and treacle. Palate is rich up front, with sweet malt and some fruit, mellowing into a sweet, brown sugary finish with a warming alcohol kick at the end. Mouthfeel is substantial and slightly syrupy, but lacks the ongoing carbonation I like in tripels. With the amount of alcohol in this, it's difficult to drink a lot, but I finished off the bottle more or less by myself over the course of the evening. It's probably a little better when it's fresher, but still pretty good after almost two years. (935 characters)

Pours a hazy brown orange with visible carbonation climbing to the head. The head, despite a relatively aggressive pour, is only a thick ring around the outside and a very thin cap on top.

The aroma has citrus, and peachy fruit, a bit of pepper and a certain dryness. Good smell, but not as full as many of the style.

A touch of mandarin orange opens up the flavour, then the beer opens up with a zesty alcoholic flavour that carries through to the finish. Lingering is a slight sweetness way back on the tongue and dryness on the rest. Fruit flavour impression stays with the beer, almost a tropical mix. Better and better with each taste, may have been just a touch too cold to start.

Light but not watery, and subtle carbonation make a good combination in my opinion. Consistency is something like a sticky fruit juice with a bit of carbonation.

Has a cloudy orange/yellow appearance that reminds me of peach juice. The white head is about a thumb thick and fades slowly leaving a clingy lace. Aroma is lightly sweet with some vague fruit notes and a mild breadiness. Flavor is fairly narrow with a mix of ripe and unripe apples and other fruit notes...maybe pear or peach. Light yeast notes. Finish is lightly bitter then sweet and fruity. Its not an easy beer to define as far as picking out distinct flavors..it mostly hints. Not sure I like that. Its faily still on the tongue as far as mouthfeel goes. (608 characters)

Had this one a fair amount over the years, but never reviewed it before... 22 picked up today at the Boise COOP. Poured into my little Cigar City snifter... short lasting white head... okay lacing... the brew is clear golden.

Nose is fruity and boozy... apricot and mild orange... hints of spicy phenols...

Flavor has an odd astringent bite up front that lingers almost all the way through the sip.... just enough sweetness begins mid palate to pull out some fruity esters... again mild phenols on the finish... good body and carbonation... but overall it seems pretty pedestrian.... I remember liking this one a lot more.

Been a challenge lately to get through anything new, but I decided to let my family have a crack at a few things this weekend and pulled a sample off of each. Part of the " Random BBQ Event" at my in laws on 07/19/2009.

Appearance - Poured a big golden color, about what you would expect given the style with a light haziness to it that sat very well I have to say. Nice puffy white broken up head again just about right with a nice retention to it and a smooth look.

Smell - Aroma of breadiness at first gives way to light apricots, hints of grain. A touch of light grapes and a candy like brown sugar note that seems to come up stronger as it gets warmer, again, very nicely done.

Taste - Very smooth, lighter on the palate then I thought it would have been, but very nice. Light banana notes, hints of light grains. A touch of grapes and light fruit as well. Very satisfying. Smooth light bitter finish capped it off rather well.

Feel - Very nice again, just about right, smooth even carbonation light to medium feel and not too cloying.

Drinkability - ABV hidden very well and the light hoppiness in the finish kicked in enough dryness to really make this one quite interesting.

Overall - Very solid offering here that I would have no issues with enjoying again. I would love to get another bottle as it really seems to have some legs. (1,369 characters)

This may sound a bit off but I find this a nice easy-drinking Tripel--while it's not very complex for the style, it's not watered down or one-dimensional either. An enjoyable sipper that quenches, while it hides its alcohol content very well. (659 characters)

This beer pours a light Belgian lace head that lasts throughout the drink. On first sip a warm blast of alcohol slaps you in the face followed by the flavor of hops, bitter orange and spice. The alcohol flavor is strong like a coctktail. Flavor changes over the course of several seconds and is an enjoyable an intresting experience. This beer lacks the strong fruity esters that some tripels exibit. Drinkability is much better than most beers of this style but you still don't want to drink more than a pint or two in a sitting.

Note that in the name of this beer "triple" is what their menu said, this is not a typo. (622 characters)

Bottle-conditioned, amber body, off-white film. Very toasty malty aroma. Roasted pears, mango, grilled malty and vinous grapes. Appealing aroma. In mouth, the stale comes out boring and stale. Not much development at all. Wine character doesnt marry so well at all with such absence of life (carbonation is extremely low while the body is moderately thick). A bit of mango here and there, nutty aspects. Very warming alcohol for 8%, moderately bitter finish, heavily astringent. Sadly disappointing. Thanks TAR for the opportunity. (533 characters)

Thanks to hopdog for this...
This is the '03 oak aged.
Appears a hazy amber with a 1 finger white head and spotty lacing.
Smell is of a heavy dosage of tripel yeast, bready, oak barrels, vanilla, and caramel.
Taste is of caramel, vanilla, with a subtle tropical fruit salad taste.
Mouthfeel is smooth with the vanilla and fruitiness coming through and resounding along the palate.
Drinkability...Had this next to the '04 standard and this was darker, richer, and more complex with the Belgian yeast coming through much better with the oak aging. (551 characters)